https://techreport.com/The Tech Report - ArticlesPC Hardware ExploredThu, 08 Mar 2018 11:30:00 -0600http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/techreport/articles/~3/YmH0AGzW8Rs/intel-optane-ssd-800p-58-gb-and-118-gb-solid-state-drives-reviewedhttps://techreport.com/review/33338/intel-optane-ssd-800p-58-gb-and-118-gb-solid-state-drives-reviewedIntel's Optane SSD 800P 58 GB and 118 GB solid-state drives reviewed<p>Intel's 3D Xpoint memory technology has been on the market for almost a year now, but mainstream builders have yet to see an Optane product they can really sink their teeth into. Intel's 16-GB and 32-GB <a href="https://techreport.com/review/31644/intel-gives-hard-drives-a-boost-with-optane-memory">Optane Memory accelerators</a> carved out a new niche by offering SSD-like (or even greater) speeds to systems otherwise hobbled by mechanical storage. <a href="https://techreport.com/review/31784/intel-32gb-optane-memory-storage-accelerator-reviewed">Jeff's analysis</a> concluded that the little drives aptly handled that use case, but Intel's decision to restrict their use to Kaby Lake and newer Core CPUs hamstrung their market appeal.</p><p>Intel's next 3D Xpoint client drive followed several months later in the form of the data-center-derived <a href="https://techreport.com/review/32752/intel-optane-ssd-900p-drives-deliver-a-big-chunk-of-next-gen-storage-to-desktops">Optane SSD 900P</a> . By all accounts, the 900P is one beast of a drive, but it carries a price tag of $380 for 280 ...</p><p><a href="https://techreport.com/review/33338/intel-optane-ssd-800p-58-gb-and-118-gb-solid-state-drives-reviewed">Read more...</a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techreport/articles/~4/YmH0AGzW8Rs" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Thu, 08 Mar 2018 11:30:00 -0600https://techreport.com/review/33338/intel-optane-ssd-800p-58-gb-and-118-gb-solid-state-drives-reviewedhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/techreport/articles/~3/TX3crxUkZ4c/globalfoundries-gears-up-for-the-next-generations-of-chip-manufacturinghttps://techreport.com/review/33337/globalfoundries-gears-up-for-the-next-generations-of-chip-manufacturingGlobalFoundries gears up for the next generations of chip manufacturing<p>GlobalFoundries, born out of AMD's manufacturing arm many moons ago, made a statement last year when it served as the sole source for AMD's Ryzen and Epyc CPUs and a wide range of Radeon GPUs. Now that 14-nm LPP is a mature process, GloFo is looking toward the future at its Fab 8 manufacturing facility in upstate New York. 7-nm Leading Performance, or 7LP, is the company's next major stop on the road towards the limits of silicon, and that process may eventually mark one of the first times we'll see the use of extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) in the mass production of semiconductor products.</p><p><img height="152" src="/r.x/2018_03_06_GlobalFoundries_gears_up_for_the_next_generations_of_chip_manufacturi/glofo-front.jpg" width="620"> <br> A small portion of the ...</p><p><a href="https://techreport.com/review/33337/globalfoundries-gears-up-for-the-next-generations-of-chip-manufacturing">Read more...</a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techreport/articles/~4/TX3crxUkZ4c" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Tue, 06 Mar 2018 17:12:00 -0600https://techreport.com/review/33337/globalfoundries-gears-up-for-the-next-generations-of-chip-manufacturinghttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/techreport/articles/~3/jozIbB9Y3X8/the-tech-report-secures-an-independent-futurehttps://techreport.com/blog/33308/the-tech-report-secures-an-independent-futureThe Tech Report secures an independent future<p>A little over two years ago, Scott Wasson, the founder and long-time Editor-in-Chief of The Tech Report, <a href="/blog/29390/into-a-new-era">began a new role with AMD</a> to make life better for gamers using Radeon hardware and software. After his departure, Scott maintained his ownership of TR&#39;s parent business while searching for a new caretaker that would let us continue to enjoy the editorial independence that&#39;s been a hallmark of our work from day one.</p><p>Today, I&#39;m pleased to announce that search has come to an end. The Tech Report will remain an independent publication under the ownership of Adam Eiberger, our long-time business manager. I will be staying on as The ...</p><p><a href="https://techreport.com/blog/33308/the-tech-report-secures-an-independent-future">Read more...</a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techreport/articles/~4/jozIbB9Y3X8" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Wed, 28 Feb 2018 14:40:00 -0600https://techreport.com/blog/33308/the-tech-report-secures-an-independent-futurehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/techreport/articles/~3/wweQhbUkIJA/recent-pcs-have-little-to-fear-from-intel-spectre-microcode-updateshttps://techreport.com/review/33299/recent-pcs-have-little-to-fear-from-intel-spectre-microcode-updatesRecent PCs have little to fear from Intel's Spectre microcode updates<p><a href="https://meltdownattack.com/">The Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities</a> still loom over the world's computer users as companies scramble to mitigate them. Like many PC owners of late, I've been biting my nails <a href="/news/33271/intel-touts-stable-spectre-microcode-for-skylake-and-newer-cpus">waiting for Intel to issue stable versions of its Spectre-mitigating microcode updates</a> and for the blue team's hardware partners to bake them into new firmware for their products.</p><p><img alt="" src="/r.x/2017_12_03_Gigabyte_s_Aorus_GTX_1070_Gaming_Box_external_graphics_card_reviewed/setup.jpg" style="width: 620px; height: 393px;"> ...</p><p><a href="https://techreport.com/review/33299/recent-pcs-have-little-to-fear-from-intel-spectre-microcode-updates">Read more...</a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techreport/articles/~4/wweQhbUkIJA" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Tue, 27 Feb 2018 07:30:00 -0600https://techreport.com/review/33299/recent-pcs-have-little-to-fear-from-intel-spectre-microcode-updateshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/techreport/articles/~3/9ZLp3Zuihhw/the-tech-report-february-2018-mobile-staff-pickshttps://techreport.com/review/33216/the-tech-report-february-2018-mobile-staff-picksThe Tech Report's February 2018 mobile staff picks<p><span class="smallcaps" style="text-align:center;">Welcome to the FEBRUARY 2018 </span><span class="smallcaps" style="text-align:center;">edition</span> of The Tech Report's mobile staff picks, where we recommend our favorite tablets, convertible PCs, laptops, and phones.</p><p>It's been a while since our <a href="/review/32328/the-tech-report-summer-2017-mobile-staff-picks">summer mobile staff picks.</a> Where in the previous edition we were hunting down laptops and convertibles with <a href="/review/30587/intel-kaby-lake-cpus-revealed">Intel Kaby Lake</a> (seventh-generation) processors inside, all the talk has turned towards Intel's recently-released eighth-generation mobile CPUs, codenamed <a href="/review/32425/intel-kicks-off-eighth-gen-core-with-four-cores-and-eight-threads-in-15w">Kaby Lake Refresh (KBL-R)</a> . To put it simply, these newest chips put ...</p><p><a href="https://techreport.com/review/33216/the-tech-report-february-2018-mobile-staff-picks">Read more...</a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techreport/articles/~4/9ZLp3Zuihhw" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Fri, 23 Feb 2018 09:32:00 -0600https://techreport.com/review/33216/the-tech-report-february-2018-mobile-staff-pickshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/techreport/articles/~3/kbkscv-J2Vs/directx-11-more-than-doubles-the-gt-1030-performance-versus-dx12-in-hitmanhttps://techreport.com/blog/33264/directx-11-more-than-doubles-the-gt-1030-performance-versus-dx12-in-hitmanDirectX 11 more than doubles the GT 1030's performance versus DX12 in Hitman <p>It&#39;s been an eventful week in the TR labs, to say the least, and today had one more surprise in store for us. Astute commenters <a href="/review/33235/amd-ryzen-3-2200g-and-ryzen-5-2400g-processors-reviewed">on our review of the Ryzen 5 2400G and Ryzen 3 2200G</a> took notice of the Nvidia GeForce GT 1030&#39;s lagging performance in <em>Hitman</em> compared to the Radeon IGPs and wondered just what was going on. On top of <a href="/blog/33259/revisiting-the-value-proposition-of-amd-ryzen-5-2400g">revisiting of the value proposition of the Ryzen 5 2400G</a> and performing some explorations of just how much CPU choice advantaged the GT 1030 in our final standings, I wanted to dig into this performance disparity to see whether it was just how the GT 1030 gets along with <em>Hitman </em>or an indication of a possible software problem.</p><p><img height="570" src="/r.x/2018_02_16_Hitman_s_DirectX_11_mode_can_more_than_double_GT_1030_performance/competitors.jpg" width="620" /> ...</p><p><a href="https://techreport.com/blog/33264/directx-11-more-than-doubles-the-gt-1030-performance-versus-dx12-in-hitman">Read more...</a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techreport/articles/~4/kbkscv-J2Vs" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Fri, 16 Feb 2018 16:02:00 -0600https://techreport.com/blog/33264/directx-11-more-than-doubles-the-gt-1030-performance-versus-dx12-in-hitmanhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/techreport/articles/~3/0ds2d50kl-U/revisiting-the-value-proposition-of-amd-ryzen-5-2400ghttps://techreport.com/blog/33259/revisiting-the-value-proposition-of-amd-ryzen-5-2400gRevisiting the value proposition of AMD's Ryzen 5 2400G<p>The mornings before tight deadlines in the world of PC hardware reviews often follow a week or less of nonstop testing, retesting, and more testing. Sleep and nutrition tend to fall by the wayside in the days leading up to an article in favor of just one more test or looking at just one more hardware combination. None of these conditions are ideal for producing the best thinking possible, and as a human under stress, I sometimes err in the minutes before a big review needs to go live after running that gauntlet.</p><p><img alt="" src="/r.x/2018_02_08_In_the_lab_AMD_s_Ryzen_processors_with_Radeon_Vega_graphics/cooler.jpg" /> ...</p><p><a href="https://techreport.com/blog/33259/revisiting-the-value-proposition-of-amd-ryzen-5-2400g">Read more...</a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techreport/articles/~4/0ds2d50kl-U" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Thu, 15 Feb 2018 15:23:00 -0600https://techreport.com/blog/33259/revisiting-the-value-proposition-of-amd-ryzen-5-2400ghttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/techreport/articles/~3/hbK6nLBUlzA/intel-ssd-dc-p4510-drives-promise-dense-efficient-bulk-storagehttps://techreport.com/review/33257/intel-ssd-dc-p4510-drives-promise-dense-efficient-bulk-storageIntel SSD DC P4510 drives promise dense, efficient bulk storage<p><a href="https://newsroom.intel.com/news/intel-reimagines-data-center-storage-new-3d-nand-ssds/">Intel expects that change is coming in the data center</a>. The way the company sees it today, the various parts within today's typical server—CPUs, SSDs or hard drives, memory, and expansion cards—become functionally obsolete at different points within the server's lifespan, ultimately leading to a large cash outlay to replace the entire box at its end of life. Contrast that with the smaller bills involved with replacing the parts that are no longer pulling their weight while keeping what works while the server is still in use.</p><p><img height="400" src="/r.x/2018_02_15_Intel_SSD_DC_P4510_lays_the_groundwork_for_dense_efficient_bulk_stora/racks.png" width="620"> ...</p><p><a href="https://techreport.com/review/33257/intel-ssd-dc-p4510-drives-promise-dense-efficient-bulk-storage">Read more...</a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techreport/articles/~4/hbK6nLBUlzA" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Thu, 15 Feb 2018 11:44:00 -0600https://techreport.com/review/33257/intel-ssd-dc-p4510-drives-promise-dense-efficient-bulk-storagehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/techreport/articles/~3/bLGaL6EKK8A/hyperx-cloud-alpha-gaming-headset-reviewedhttps://techreport.com/review/32986/hyperx-cloud-alpha-gaming-headset-reviewedHyperX's Cloud Alpha gaming headset reviewed<p>Two years ago, I <a href="https://techreport.com/review/30095/hyperx-cloud-revolver-gaming-headset-reviewed">reviewed HyperX's Cloud Revolver</a>, a newly-designed headset that branched out <a href="https://www.hyperxgaming.com/us/headsets/cloud-gaming-headset">from the company's famous Cloud</a>. In that review, I mentioned that I'd briefly tried out <a href="https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826738003">the Cloud II</a>, the refreshed edition of HyperX's original. Unfortunately for me, the Cloud II was shipped off as part of a giveaway to some lucky soul, but even in its short time with me, it became the standard of a high-quality gaming headset in my mind.</p><p>Since then, a number of Cloud headsets have succeeded the Cloud II, each with slight improvements or added features. The Cloud II left such a lasting impression on me that I've paid close attention to those changes over the years, <a href="/news/32444/hyperx-cloud-alpha-headset-improves-on-all-fronts">so when the Cloud Alpha was announced</a> ...</p><p><a href="https://techreport.com/review/32986/hyperx-cloud-alpha-gaming-headset-reviewed">Read more...</a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techreport/articles/~4/bLGaL6EKK8A" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Tue, 13 Feb 2018 15:59:00 -0600https://techreport.com/review/32986/hyperx-cloud-alpha-gaming-headset-reviewedhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/techreport/articles/~3/ZPdGGevbHUM/amd-ryzen-3-2200g-and-ryzen-5-2400g-processors-reviewedhttps://techreport.com/review/33235/amd-ryzen-3-2200g-and-ryzen-5-2400g-processors-reviewedAMD's Ryzen 3 2200G and Ryzen 5 2400G processors reviewed<p>Morning, folks. Today is the day when we can finally share performance details for the desktop versions of <a href="/news/33226/in-the-lab-amd-ryzen-processors-with-radeon-vega-graphics">AMD's Ryzen processors with Radeon Vega graphics</a>, or Ryzen APUs for short. AMD isn't using the term "accelerated processing unit" to refer to these chips any longer, but it's a whole lot easier to call them APUs than it is to type out "Ryzen processor with Radeon Vega graphics" every time we want to refer to the family of chips. Naming conventions aside, what matters most is that AMD finally has a competitive CPU core that it can fuse with its muscular graphics processors, and it's used those resources to form a most exciting pair of chips for entry-level gaming builds, small-form-factor game boxes, and HTPCs.</p><p><img alt="" src="https://techreport.com/r.x/2018_02_08_In_the_lab_AMD_s_Ryzen_processors_with_Radeon_Vega_graphics/2400G.jpg"> ...</p><p><a href="https://techreport.com/review/33235/amd-ryzen-3-2200g-and-ryzen-5-2400g-processors-reviewed">Read more...</a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techreport/articles/~4/ZPdGGevbHUM" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Mon, 12 Feb 2018 08:00:00 -0600https://techreport.com/review/33235/amd-ryzen-3-2200g-and-ryzen-5-2400g-processors-reviewedhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/techreport/articles/~3/oauEO6cwJ5g/tobii-makes-a-compelling-case-for-more-natural-and-immersive-vr-with-eye-trackinghttps://techreport.com/blog/33171/tobii-makes-a-compelling-case-for-more-natural-and-immersive-vr-with-eye-trackingTobii makes a compelling case for more natural and immersive VR with eye tracking<p>&nbsp;We&#39;ve heard murmurs about the benefits of eye-tracking in VR headsets for quite some time now, but even with the number of press days and trade shows we attend in the course of the year, I&#39;d never had the opportunity to give the tech a spin. That changed with a demo we got to try this year at CES. <a href="https://www.tobii.com/">Tobii, probably the leading company in eye-tracking technology</a>, invited us in for a private showing of its most recent round of VR eye-tracking hardware this year. The company had a prototype HTC Vive headset at hand with its eye trackers baked in for me to kick the tires with, and I came away convinced that eye tracking is an essential technology for the best VR experiences.</p><p><img height="448" src="/r.x/2018_01_26_Tobii_makes_a_compelling_case_for_more_natural_and_immersive_VR_with_/tobiisensors.jpg" width="620" /> <br /> Tobii&#39;s prototype ...</p><p><a href="https://techreport.com/blog/33171/tobii-makes-a-compelling-case-for-more-natural-and-immersive-vr-with-eye-tracking">Read more...</a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techreport/articles/~4/oauEO6cwJ5g" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Fri, 26 Jan 2018 16:36:00 -0600https://techreport.com/blog/33171/tobii-makes-a-compelling-case-for-more-natural-and-immersive-vr-with-eye-trackinghttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/techreport/articles/~3/paVNyFu8VWo/intel-ssd-760p-series-512-gb-solid-state-drive-reviewedhttps://techreport.com/review/33142/intel-ssd-760p-series-512-gb-solid-state-drive-reviewedIntel's SSD 760p Series 512 GB solid-state drive reviewed<p>NAND from the Intel-Micron Flash Technologies foundries is a common sight in the TR labs. The fruits of Intel and Micron's (<a href="https://techreport.com/news/33070/intel-and-micron-joint-nand-development-is-coming-to-an-end">soon-to-be-defunct</a>) joint partnership end up in a wide array of internal and removable media. It might surprise you to recall, then, that the last mainstream Intel-branded drive we reviewed was the trailblazing <a href="https://techreport.com/review/28050/intel-750-series-solid-state-drive-reviewed">750 Series</a> nigh on three years ago. Well, there was <a href="https://techreport.com/review/31784/intel-32gb-optane-memory-storage-accelerator-reviewed">Optane</a>, but that one's a bit of an odd duck. In any event, Intel hasn't been sitting on its hands in all that time, but the drives constituting the company's current lineup haven't found their way into our hands of late. </p><p>The name of the game for that lineup now is 3D NAND. Intel introduced IMFT's second-generation, 64-layer 3D TLC into its client portfolio with the <a href="https://techreport.com/news/32161/intel-ssd-545s-arrives-with-64-layer-3d-tlc-flash-aboard">SSD 545s</a> last summer. That left the ...</p><p><a href="https://techreport.com/review/33142/intel-ssd-760p-series-512-gb-solid-state-drive-reviewed">Read more...</a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techreport/articles/~4/paVNyFu8VWo" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Tue, 23 Jan 2018 10:30:00 -0600https://techreport.com/review/33142/intel-ssd-760p-series-512-gb-solid-state-drive-reviewedhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/techreport/articles/~3/AvzMl-4RVXQ/samsung-860-pro-1-tb-solid-state-drive-reviewedhttps://techreport.com/review/33135/samsung-860-pro-1-tb-solid-state-drive-reviewedSamsung's 860 Pro 1 TB solid-state drive reviewed<p>Good as they are, Samsung's 850 series of SSDs has grown rather wizened. The line made its debut with the high-end <a href="https://techreport.com/review/26701/samsung-850-pro-solid-state-drive-reviewed">850 Pro</a> all the way back in the summer of 2014, followed by the <a href="https://techreport.com/review/27464/samsung-850-evo-solid-state-drive-reviewed">850 EVO</a> a few months later. But despite all the time that Samsung's competitors have had to try to close the gap, no drive has truly been able to displace the 850 EVO as the market's mainstream darling. With as little competitive pressure as Samsung has faced and with the SATA interface's ceiling on performance, there's been little reason for drastic change in the company's SATA SSD lineup.</p><p>But Samsung hasn't spent the last few years taking its advantage for granted. 3D NAND was still a young technology in 2014. The 850-series drives were powered by Samsung's second-generation, 32-layer V-NAND. The first-gen stuff never made it into a client drive. Samsung's stacks of ...</p><p><a href="https://techreport.com/review/33135/samsung-860-pro-1-tb-solid-state-drive-reviewed">Read more...</a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techreport/articles/~4/AvzMl-4RVXQ" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Tue, 23 Jan 2018 09:00:00 -0600https://techreport.com/review/33135/samsung-860-pro-1-tb-solid-state-drive-reviewedhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/techreport/articles/~3/2TBjmLvob48/synaptics-clear-id-fingerprint-sensor-feels-like-the-way-of-the-futurehttps://techreport.com/blog/33122/synaptics-clear-id-fingerprint-sensor-feels-like-the-way-of-the-futureSynaptics' Clear ID fingerprint sensor feels like the way of the future<p>Edge-to-edge screens are poised to be the new hotness of smartphone design in 2018, but pushing pixels right out to a device&#39;s borders leaves little room for the range of sensors we&#39;ve come to know and love on the front of a phone&mdash;especially fingerprint sensors. By all accounts, Apple is dealing with this new reality <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2017/10/31/review-the-iphone-x-goes-to-disneyland/">by gradually retiring the fingerprint as a biometric input</a>. You can still get a Touch ID sensor <a href="https://www.apple.com/iphone-8/">on an iPhone 8</a> or <a href="https://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/">some MacBook Pros</a>, but the future as seen from Cupertino <a href="https://www.apple.com/iphone-x/#face-id">clearly relies on Face ID</a>, its array of depth-mapping hardware, and the accompanying notch.</p><p>Fingerprint sensors still have some advantages over face-sensing tech, though. They allow owners to unlock their devices without looking directly at the front of the phone, an important capability in meetings or when the device is resting on a desk or table. They can&#39;t be tricked by twins, and they can&#39;t be as easily spoofed as some less-sophisticated forms of facial identification. It&#39;s simple to enroll multiple fingerprints with ...</p><p><a href="https://techreport.com/blog/33122/synaptics-clear-id-fingerprint-sensor-feels-like-the-way-of-the-future">Read more...</a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techreport/articles/~4/2TBjmLvob48" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Wed, 17 Jan 2018 10:30:00 -0600https://techreport.com/blog/33122/synaptics-clear-id-fingerprint-sensor-feels-like-the-way-of-the-futurehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/techreport/articles/~3/1bNmmcanLbQ/corsair-h115i-pro-and-h150i-pro-cpu-coolers-reviewedhttps://techreport.com/review/33035/corsair-h115i-pro-and-h150i-pro-cpu-coolers-reviewedCorsair's H115i Pro and H150i Pro CPU coolers reviewed<p>Even after a company introduces a great and enduring product, the constantly-blowing winds of market demands eventually require a change in tack. When this demand isn't carefully handled, a company risks ruining the very things that made a product successful to begin with. Sometimes drastic changes work, as Apple's radical re-imagining of the iPhone user experience with the iPhone X proves. Sometimes they don't, as with the mixed reception of Apple's radical re-imagining of the 2016 MacBook Pro.</p><p>Corsair has arguably been the company most responsible for ushering in the closed-loop liquid-cooled era of enthusiast PC hardware. The H60, H80, and H100, introduced in 2011, likely marked the crossover point where an all-in-one liquid cooler became an enduring and attainable option for enthusiasts versus a monster tower-style air cooler. The company later expanded its lineup with the ...</p><p><a href="https://techreport.com/review/33035/corsair-h115i-pro-and-h150i-pro-cpu-coolers-reviewed">Read more...</a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techreport/articles/~4/1bNmmcanLbQ" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Mon, 08 Jan 2018 13:00:00 -0600https://techreport.com/review/33035/corsair-h115i-pro-and-h150i-pro-cpu-coolers-reviewed